Cat is listless, but has good appetite

[Cool_Northern_Breeze]

Hello,
Was wondering if anyone had any suggestions for my cat.

She is 13-1/2 years old. i adopted her when she was 2 years old. She was spaded at the shelter before I adopted her. I keep her inside only. She's been a very friendly cat and seems pretty easy going. She has chronic UTI's, but it's been mostly under control for the last couple of years with Royal-Canin SO. She gets 1/2 a can twice a day, Did have a relapse in Nov. 2020, but was fixed with any antibiotics. She's the only cat and no other animals.

A couple of months ago she was spending more time in bed and I thought it was age, colder weather etc. Checkups have never found any issues. About this time she also had chronic vomiting which would happen about 1-2 hours before eating in the evening once every 3-5 days. Vet never had any answers. For some reason it switched for over night, and I presume it's 1-2 hours before her morning meal. Vomit is clear fluid most of the time that I find near the litter box. Since it's overnight I'm assuming it's same vomiting that use to happen in the afternoon. Haven't seen afternoon vomiting in months. Her behavior has gotten worse with me when being handled. She has never liked being handled, but it use to be complaining meow's, but now things like nail clipping start with complains that turn to her trashing to get away. She has normally well-behaved during her checkups.

Things got worse in Feb 2021. That morning she refused to eat. I did get her to eat a little bit which she threw up a short time later. I got her to the vet that afternoon. Due to covid I had to remain outside the office during the exam. Got a call that she had lost her temper when they tried to draw blood and was growling and wanted permission to sedate her which I gave. When they brought her out in the carrier she was still growing although the sedation was still wearing off. She calmed down once I got her home and out of the carrier. Test results from blood and urine showed everything was fine. The next day she ate 1/2 her normal food with me giving food every time she seemed interested. Up to 3/4 of a can the next 2 days, after which her appetite was back to normal. Vet gave her an injection of Cerenia 10mg for vomiting, which seem to help and she for a time wanted to lay on my lap again for a day or two.

Brought her back for another appt early April for the listless. Vet said she started ok, but then became aggressive again. Vet still didn't find any issues, but suggested Pepcid saying the vomiting may be from too much stomach acid which did reduce the vomiting to every 7-10 days. Tried Onsior for pain in case she has arthritis or something similar, but didn't change her behavior at all.

She had an ultrasound last week which didn't find anything. Vet said she was immediately aggressive before the ultrasound and was sedated. Suggested nausea medication incase the Pepcid only controls the vomiting, but thought she might still have an chronic upset stomach. Vet gave me Omeprazole 20mg with dosage .2 to .4. Started at .2, but even .4 hasn't had any change in behavior.

At home her behavior is laying in bed, eating and wanting to eat. She does purr when I pet her, but doesn't come to me to be petted or want to lay on my lap. Will lay in the sun for a bit, but seems to prefer laying in her bed. I can mediate her ok, but need to be quick before she loses her temper.

Sorry this has been so long, but I'm running out of ideas. With a strong appetite she doesn't seem to be in immediate danger, but seems pretty miserable health wise. Would like her last years to be better than laying in bed all day.

Any suggestions?

 

[di and bob]

If she is nauseated she would act like she is. Omeprazole takes up to 5 days to start working. She is getting aggressive because she doesn't feel well and wants to be left alone. You might start looking for a bland food that is for UTI's and stomach issues. As long as she is eating and using the litterbox, that is a good sign. Encourage lots of water, maybe set several small bowls of water around to remind her. As for the medication, instead of forcing her to take it find a way to hide it in a treat she especially likes. My cats can't resist bacon,. I fry up a pound and keep it in the fridge. Then take a tiny piece of Pill Pocket for cats and 'cement' it to a tiny piece. It may take two or three tries, but they usually wolf it down. Sometimes I gave a small piece of bacon first to get them used to swallowing it. Then the medicated one. I have also used cheese to hide it in. I gave heart medicine to my Burt for years this way.

 

[suzeanna]

If possible, maybe you could try feeding her the same amount of food, but smaller/more frequent meals? My 8 y/o is on Royal Canin SO wet food also, and I originally only fed her twice a day. She used to not eat from 7 p.m. to 7 a.m., but then she'd drink water (trying to fill her tummy?) during the early morning hours and sometimes she'd overdrink and throw up. She would sometimes eat breakfast too quickly as a result and throw that up. She would also get pretty hangry a couple hours out from mealtime.

Now I feed her at 7 a.m., 12 p.m., 5 p.m., and 10 p.m. (with the last and first meals being the bigger meals). She gets a small snack of Royal Canin SO dry food at 3 a.m. via an automatic feeder. I am not suggesting your cat needs to eat this many meals (mine is on a diet so feeding more frequently helps her think she's being fed enough, I hope), but maybe you could have an early mini-dinner and a bigger before-bed dinner.

 

[FeebysOwner]

Hi. Sorry - this post is also long as I wanted to be thorough when explaining my ideas!

I think more frequent meals of smaller portions might a good thing to try. Feeby (16+ yo) was throwing up nothing but a bit of liquid in the morning. It seemed like each time she did this, it was because she had gone too long without eating anything - of her own doing. She still cuts herself off from eating food sometimes in the early evening, but my husband gets up very early in the morning for work and now feeds her some baby food meat. She hasn't been throwing up since.

Her behavior sounds like it could be arthritis related - not wanting to be touched much, and laying in her bed a lot. Why the Onsior didn't help might be the same reason that applies to humans, some meds work better than others. So, perhaps the vet could suggest some other type of pain meds to try.

You should also discuss with the vet about giving her an arthritic supplement, such as glucosamine, chondroitin, and/or green lipped mussels. These supplements are good to use because they help reduce joint deterioration where as the pain meds just help to dull the aches and pains that come with arthritis. Both can be given to her at the same time. You might also consider using a heating pad or self-warming pad in her bed to help make her feel less stiff when she does get up to move about.

At some point, x-rays would be helpful to confirm arthritis and the extent of it. Odds are at her age, she does have some degree of arthritis. I use Glyco Flex Plus for Feeby, which contains all three of the supplements noted above. She was limping when I first gave it to her a couple of years ago - the limp is much less frequent and she has not lost any additional mobility since she started taking the Glyco.

For taking meds, try these 'tricks' -
1.) 'juice' from canned tuna and chicken, and then give her a piece of the meat as a treat afterward
2.) baby food meats (Gerber Stage 2 or Beechnut)
3.) lickable treats, such as Applaws, Wholehearted, Tiki Cat Stix, Inaba Churu, Vitakraft - just to name a few
4.) Tiki Cat Mousse (which is complete meal, not a treat)
Use just enough of any one of them to mix with the meds so you know for sure she eats it all. These have worked well when giving Feeby meds, and I have crushed up pills or used liquid meds with equal success. It is a lot less stressful for both your girl and you.

 

[daftcat75]

Hello,
Was wondering if anyone had any suggestions for my cat.

She is 13-1/2 years old. i adopted her when she was 2 years old. She was spaded at the shelter before I adopted her. I keep her inside only. She's been a very friendly cat and seems pretty easy going. She has chronic UTI's, but it's been mostly under control for the last couple of years with Royal-Canin SO. She gets 1/2 a can twice a day, Did have a relapse in Nov. 2020, but was fixed with any antibiotics. She's the only cat and no other animals.

A couple of months ago she was spending more time in bed and I thought it was age, colder weather etc. Checkups have never found any issues. About this time she also had chronic vomiting which would happen about 1-2 hours before eating in the evening once every 3-5 days. Vet never had any answers. For some reason it switched for over night, and I presume it's 1-2 hours before her morning meal. Vomit is clear fluid most of the time that I find near the litter box. Since it's overnight I'm assuming it's same vomiting that use to happen in the afternoon. Haven't seen afternoon vomiting in months. Her behavior has gotten worse with me when being handled. She has never liked being handled, but it use to be complaining meow's, but now things like nail clipping start with complains that turn to her trashing to get away. She has normally well-behaved during her checkups.

Things got worse in Feb 2021. That morning she refused to eat. I did get her to eat a little bit which she threw up a short time later. I got her to the vet that afternoon. Due to covid I had to remain outside the office during the exam. Got a call that she had lost her temper when they tried to draw blood and was growling and wanted permission to sedate her which I gave. When they brought her out in the carrier she was still growing although the sedation was still wearing off. She calmed down once I got her home and out of the carrier. Test results from blood and urine showed everything was fine. The next day she ate 1/2 her normal food with me giving food every time she seemed interested. Up to 3/4 of a can the next 2 days, after which her appetite was back to normal. Vet gave her an injection of Cerenia 10mg for vomiting, which seem to help and she for a time wanted to lay on my lap again for a day or two.

Brought her back for another appt early April for the listless. Vet said she started ok, but then became aggressive again. Vet still didn't find any issues, but suggested Pepcid saying the vomiting may be from too much stomach acid which did reduce the vomiting to every 7-10 days. Tried Onsior for pain in case she has arthritis or something similar, but didn't change her behavior at all.

She had an ultrasound last week which didn't find anything. Vet said she was immediately aggressive before the ultrasound and was sedated. Suggested nausea medication incase the Pepcid only controls the vomiting, but thought she might still have an chronic upset stomach. Vet gave me Omeprazole 20mg with dosage .2 to .4. Started at .2, but even .4 hasn't had any change in behavior.

At home her behavior is laying in bed, eating and wanting to eat. She does purr when I pet her, but doesn't come to me to be petted or want to lay on my lap. Will lay in the sun for a bit, but seems to prefer laying in her bed. I can mediate her ok, but need to be quick before she loses her temper.

Sorry this has been so long, but I'm running out of ideas. With a strong appetite she doesn't seem to be in immediate danger, but seems pretty miserable health wise. Would like her last years to be better than laying in bed all day.

Any suggestions?

I think this is all so much easier than your vet is making it out to be. The ultrasound is clear and and she vomits stomach acid shortly before her meals. That tells me that her old girl stomach just can't go as long between meals as she used to. I would discuss reducing or eliminating all of those medications and simply switching her to smaller, more frequent meals. Use timed feeders to cover the overnight or when you are away from the home like work or errands.

I recommend clamshell feeders over wheel feeders. A wheel feeder rotates uneaten portions away. A clamshell enforces no such time limit on a portion. I assume it's also easier to use ice packs with a clamshell over a wheel. I also recommend deploying these in pairs. They don't fail often (maybe three times over the two years I used four of them daily.) But it's painful when they do. If you split the feeder meal over the two feeders, she'll have at least a half portion if one of them does fail to open.
https://www.amazon.com/dp/B07FT93YM2/?tag=thecatsite

 

[maggie101]

Hello,
Was wondering if anyone had any suggestions for my cat.

She is 13-1/2 years old. i adopted her when she was 2 years old. She was spaded at the shelter before I adopted her. I keep her inside only. She's been a very friendly cat and seems pretty easy going. She has chronic UTI's, but it's been mostly under control for the last couple of years with Royal-Canin SO. She gets 1/2 a can twice a day, Did have a relapse in Nov. 2020, but was fixed with any antibiotics. She's the only cat and no other animals.

A couple of months ago she was spending more time in bed and I thought it was age, colder weather etc. Checkups have never found any issues. About this time she also had chronic vomiting which would happen about 1-2 hours before eating in the evening once every 3-5 days. Vet never had any answers. For some reason it switched for over night, and I presume it's 1-2 hours before her morning meal. Vomit is clear fluid most of the time that I find near the litter box. Since it's overnight I'm assuming it's same vomiting that use to happen in the afternoon. Haven't seen afternoon vomiting in months. Her behavior has gotten worse with me when being handled. She has never liked being handled, but it use to be complaining meow's, but now things like nail clipping start with complains that turn to her trashing to get away. She has normally well-behaved during her checkups.

Things got worse in Feb 2021. That morning she refused to eat. I did get her to eat a little bit which she threw up a short time later. I got her to the vet that afternoon. Due to covid I had to remain outside the office during the exam. Got a call that she had lost her temper when they tried to draw blood and was growling and wanted permission to sedate her which I gave. When they brought her out in the carrier she was still growing although the sedation was still wearing off. She calmed down once I got her home and out of the carrier. Test results from blood and urine showed everything was fine. The next day she ate 1/2 her normal food with me giving food every time she seemed interested. Up to 3/4 of a can the next 2 days, after which her appetite was back to normal. Vet gave her an injection of Cerenia 10mg for vomiting, which seem to help and she for a time wanted to lay on my lap again for a day or two.

Brought her back for another appt early April for the listless. Vet said she started ok, but then became aggressive again. Vet still didn't find any issues, but suggested Pepcid saying the vomiting may be from too much stomach acid which did reduce the vomiting to every 7-10 days. Tried Onsior for pain in case she has arthritis or something similar, but didn't change her behavior at all.

She had an ultrasound last week which didn't find anything. Vet said she was immediately aggressive before the ultrasound and was sedated. Suggested nausea medication incase the Pepcid only controls the vomiting, but thought she might still have an chronic upset stomach. Vet gave me Omeprazole 20mg with dosage .2 to .4. Started at .2, but even .4 hasn't had any change in behavior.

At home her behavior is laying in bed, eating and wanting to eat. She does purr when I pet her, but doesn't come to me to be petted or want to lay on my lap. Will lay in the sun for a bit, but seems to prefer laying in her bed. I can mediate her ok, but need to be quick before she loses her temper.

Sorry this has been so long, but I'm running out of ideas. With a strong appetite she doesn't seem to be in immediate danger, but seems pretty miserable health wise. Would like her last years to be better than laying in bed all day.

Any suggestions?

Has she had an xray?

 

[Cool_Northern_Breeze]

Thanks everyone for your suggestions.

di and bob - Thanks about the Omeprazole, she's had 3 days worth and I didn't think was working, but didn't know it takes 5 days to start working. Vet gave me Omeprazole liquid and from her reaction seems it doesn't taste very good. If it seems to be working I'll bring up getting pills.

Suzeanna - Thanks for the feeding schedule idea. She gets wet food, but I do have water out for her although she rarely drinks from it. Vet says urine is plenty watery so her she seems to be getting enough water through the wet food.

FeebysOwner - I too thought arthritis might be the issue, but the pain killer didn't help.

daftcat75 - I agree about the more frequent smaller meals to help vomiting. I'll look in to the feeders you talked about.

maggie101 - Yes, she did get xrays, and it didn't show anything wrong per the vet.

 

[FeebysOwner]

FeebysOwner - I too thought arthritis might be the issue, but the pain killer didn't help... maggie101 - Yes, she did get xrays, and it didn't show anything wrong per the vet.

If she has arthritis it should have shown up on the x-rays, depending on what they took x-rays of. Ask the vet to confirm there is no arthritis. And, as I said before not all pain meds work on all cats (same as with humans), so just because one pain med didn't do anything doesn't mean another won't.

 

[stephanietx]

As my girl got older, she became more grumpy. She had arthritis and chronic feline herpes. Generally, she was in good spirits, but there were times when she didn't want anyone to touch her. As long as she showed up for mealtimes, I was okay with that. She used the box faithfully and drank water in addition to eating well. She slept a lot, though. I just chalked it up to getting older. We recently lost her due to lymphoma so I'm glad the sonogram didn't show anything like that.

 

[di and bob]

It takes these kinds of medicines 1-5 days to work. Antidepressants take up to a month to even start. I would stick with the liquid and get some Hartz Delectable Lickables in the stew flavors and mix it in a small amount to administer. My cats take all their meds this way and love it. Just make sure it is a small amount so she eats it all.

 

[Cool_Northern_Breeze]

Last night I saw some signs of progress. She jumped in to my lap and had her tail up which she hadn't done in weeks.
So, just like a couple of you said the medication takes about 5 days to start working. Thanks again everyone for your suggestions and support.